Someone to Share the Journey With
by ButterflyMeadow
Summary: One-shot prequel to The Hoenn Journeys. Colleen Rose, a fourteen-year-old Pokemon Trainer who is about to challenge the Hoenn League, finds a special friend she will treasure for a long time - someone to share her journey with.


**A/N: Taking a little break from **_**The Hoenn Journeys**_**, I decided to write a one-shot on how Colleen and Steven met, kinda like a prologue or preface **** It's based off what Colleen told May in Chapter 4, but in more detail, and Colleen's birthday was in the time that Steven was traveling with her, which is why she's fourteen. This chap includes the battle against Juan, so we have a little spice XD Sorry about the really uncreative title too ^.^; Oh, a mistake was in Chapter 6—Colleen already knows Mr. Stone. Enjoy the long one-shot!**

**Disclaimer: All I own is the plot, I swear.**

**Someone to Share the Journey With**

**By Meerca aka Butterfly Meadow**

Fourteen-year-old Pokémon Trainer Colleen Rose was in awe. She looked around her as her recently-evolved Feraligatr swam to shore, marveling at where the dive spot on Route 26 had taken her: Sootopolis City. White rock walls shimmering like marble reflected the very sunlight gracing them into the clearest water Colleen had ever seen, sparkling like transparent blue aquamarines. Small houses were here and there, with charcoal-shaped and colored roofs and hexagonal white stone foundations. A red Poké Ball sign and a similar blue one stood almost side-by-side, showing where the Pokémon Center and Poké Mart were. The opening to a cave, surrounded by white pillars, was about a half-mile away from her, and Colleen saw her destination—the Sootopolis Gym, lead by the Water-type Gym Leader Juan. It was hard to believe everything was enclosed in an island volcano's crater.

"_Piiichuuu . . ._" Colleen's Tiny Mouse Pokémon breathed, holding onto its Trainer.

"Pretty, isn't it, Pichu?" Colleen commented. She looked ahead; they were a few yards from land. "You ready to battle after we rest up?"

"_Pi chu!_" Pichu nodded enthusiastically. Colleen knew that even though Pichu was a baby Pokémon, it'd be a help against Juan's Water-type based team. Her Pichu was a special one she'd befriended in Mauville City, where locals said a Houndoom had damaged its tail early in its life. This had caused a change in Pichu; it would never be able to evolve. But Colleen didn't mind at all. Pichu could have enough power to be a Raichu if it wanted.

"Great! Alright, Feraligatr, to shore!" Feraligatr growled in response, sending a few bubbles to the surface of the water, and swam faster. When they were close enough, Colleen hopped onto land. "Thanks, Feraligatr! Return!" Feraligatr vanished inside its Poké Ball.

Colleen and Pichu walked to the Pokémon Center, greeted by the normal chatting Trainers inside. She walked up to Nurse Joy.

"Hello, how may I help you?" the pink-haired nurse greeted.

"I'd like to check if my Pokémon are fully healed, please."

"All right, no problem!" Colleen handed Nurse Joy her Poké Balls, and the nurse quickly scanned them. "You're all set! Please, take care!"

"Thank you!" Colleen zipped her Poké Balls back into her bag when her PokéNav rang. She clicked the blue button and put it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hello, Colleen!"

Colleen recognized the jolly voice. "Oh, hello, Mr. Stone!"

"I don't have much time, because Kennedy is looking for me again, but I'd like you to do a favor for me."

"Of course, Mr. Stone, it would be no trouble!"

"Thank you kindly. I would like you to deliver a letter to my son, Steven, anytime you have some moments. He's spelunking in Granite Cave. I trust you've been there?"

"Yes, I have."

"Good, then you know where it is. I've sent you the letter—check your nearest Poké Mart for the deliveryman."

"Okay, sir, just leave it to me!"

Mr. Stone chuckled. "I knew you were a dear when I gave you that PokéNav. Oh, no, it's Kennedy! Thank you very much, Colleen! Bye!"

Before Colleen could say her farewell, the line went off with a click. With a laugh, Colleen powered down the PokéNav.

"Well, Pichu, we've got a side quest after beating Juan. So let's go beat Juan!"

"_Pi chu pi!_"

Colleen rushed out of the Pokémon Center and next door, to the Poké Mart. She asked the clerk, "I'm Colleen Rose, I believe a letter was sent for me?"

"Ah, yes!" The clerk reached under the counter and pulled out a manila file folder. "Here you are, Miss Rose."

"Thank you," Colleen replied, placing the folder in her bag carefully. "And while I'm at it, could I buy . . . a six-pack of Full Restores?"

"Of course!" The clerk pulled a six-pack of Full Restores onto the counter. "That will be 10,000 Poké. Is that okay?"

"Yes." Colleen handed the red bills to the clerk and took the package.

"Thank you for buying!" Colleen exited the Poké Mart, finally feeling ready for her challenge against Juan.

"Alright, Pichu, let's conquer the mountain!" Colleen held onto Pichu as she ran to a small inlet of land, where the Sootopolis Gym was located. She entered the Gym with a rapid heartbeat.

The Gym had many ice sculptures with a huge pool in the shape of a battlefield. Colleen couldn't see anyone. "Hello?" she called out.

"Are you a challenger?" Colleen looked across the pool to see a man with grey and white-striped hair and a fancy blue coat atop an ice platform and nodded.

"Excellent! Allow me to introduce myself!" The man hopped down from the platform with a low bow. "My lady, I am Juan, a Top Coordinator as well as the Gym Leader of Sootopolis! I use the elegance of Water-types to my advantage! You have been warned!"

A referee suddenly appeared. "This is a two-on-two battle! The challenger, Colleen, may switch out Pokémon at any time, while the Leader, Juan, cannot! Battle start!

"I shall begin with . . ." Juan reached inside his sleeve and pulled out a Love Ball. "Luvdisc!" The pink heart-shaped fish splashed into the pool.

"Okay, start this battle off, Feraligatr!" The blue crocodilian Pokémon splashed into the pool as well. _Great! Feraligatr are fast in water!_ "Crunch!"

Feraligatr swam at a surprisingly fast speed, clamping down on Luvdisc. Luvdisc burst water from its mouth to get away, but fainted.

"Looking _good_, Feraligatr!" Colleen cheered.

"Luvdisc, return!" Juan was grinning. "Very impressive, madam! Now I will call Sealeo!"

The blue seal-like Pokémon clapped its fins. _I'll need some special attacks to get through that fat, and I know just what will do the trick! _"Return, Feraligatr! Awesome job!" Colleen looked down at Pichu. "Ready?"

"_Chu!_" Pichu dashed in front of Colleen.

"Sealeo, Aurora Beam!"

"Pichu, counter it with ThunderShock!"

As the rainbow-colored beam headed to Pichu, Pichu quickly emitted an electric shock that zapped Sealeo. Sealeo shook off the shock.

"Oh, it will take much more than that to defeat my Sealeo! Sealeo, Blizzard!"

"Pichu, Volt Tackle!"

Pichu's body sparked with electricity as it dashed to Sealeo, but stopped in its tracks as the blizzard overcame it. "_Piii . . ._"

"Water Pulse!"

The ringed water beam hit Pichu, but Pichu wasn't out yet. It struggled to get away from the cold.

_Argh, I can't hit it with Volt Tackle! Thunderbolt, maybe?_ Colleen gave a sigh of relief when Pichu wandered out of the storm.

"Pichu, Thunderbolt!"

A bigger burst of electricity tore up the water and shocked Sealeo again. But Sealeo shook off the electrocution again!

Juan laughed. "Sealeo, excellent job! Another Blizzard!"

"Pichu!"

Pichu shivered in the cold again. _Oh, no, even Thunderbolt doesn't work! There's one more option . . ._ Colleen looked back at Pichu and Sealeo. _But Pichu hasn't mastered Thunder yet! I have to take the chance, though . . ._

"Pichu! _Thunder!_"

Pichu leapt high out of the snowstorm and sent a lightning bolt bigger than Colleen had ever seen at Sealeo. The whole room flashed with yellow light as Sealeo had a through shock. When Pichu came back to Colleen, Sealeo was knocked out!

"Sealeo is unable to battle! The winner is Colleen Rose of Littleroot!"

"Yes!" Colleen hugged Pichu. "You mastered Thunder, Pichu! That was awesome!"

"_Chupi!_" Pichu squealed happily.

Juan walked over to Colleen. "Very magnificent. With your win, I present you with the Rain Badge!" Juan pressed the raindrop badge into Colleen's badge case. "With that, you can now challenge the Hoenn League!"

Colleen was lightheaded from being so overjoyed. "Thank you very much, Juan!"

Juan winked. "No problem, my lady. Now, I have a Contest to get to. I wish you the best of luck in your future! _Au revoir!_"

Colleen waved back at him as she exited the Gym.

"Want a Sitrus Berry, Pichu?"

Pichu nodded, licking its lips with a tiny pink tongue. Colleen took the fat yellow berry out her bag and fed it to a happy Pichu. "We'd better be off to Granite Cave to give the letter to Steven." Colleen took a Timer Ball out of her bag. "Go, Salamence!"

The blue and maroon-winged dragon Pokémon roared. "I need you to fly to Granite Cave, Salamence." Salamence nodded, and allowed Colleen and Pichu to climb onto its back. With another roar, it beat its wings and sped off.

An hour later, Colleen, Pichu, and Salamence had landed in Dewford Town. Colleen quickly straightened her knee-length pink hair, and after recalling Salamence, she and Pichu ran immediately to Granite Cave.

Suddenly, an arm flung out and Colleen and Pichu tumbled to the floor. Rubbing her arm, Colleen looked up at a man who seemed to be a hiker.

"What are you doing here?" the hiker hissed, towering over Colleen even when she stood. Pichu shrunk into Colleen's arms.

"W-we're here to give something t-to Steven," Colleen stuttered, intimidated by the huge hiker.

"_Steven Stone?_" The hiker's eyes lit up. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry about being rude to a friend of the great Steven Stone! Well, the thing is, Granite Cave's closed. The civilians of Dewford wish to keep the cave and its Pokémon free and natural."

"Oh . . ." Colleen made a mental note to tell Mr. Stone to get his memories straight. "Do you know where I can find him?"

"He mentioned he was heading to the Altering Cave, on the east side of Route 103." The hiker's eyes were teasing. "I'm sure he'll be very happy to receive your little _something_, miss. You two would look very adorable."

The statements made their true intentions clear, and Colleen was flustered. "No, no, I don't even know Steven, his dad—"

The hiker wasn't listening, already going back to guard the entrance to Granite Cave and chuckling to himself.

"That was awkward . . ." Colleen shook off the memory. "Okay, Salamence, I need you again!" Salamence looked at its Trainer expectantly. "Sorry about this, but this time we need you to fly to Oldale Town." Salamence nodded, and Colleen and Pichu mounted it again. "I hope we do find Steven this time . . ."

Another hour later, Colleen and Pichu were surfing across the water on Feraligatr to get to the other side of Route 103. It was a short distance, and the two were there in about fifteen minutes. The cave opening was only a few feet away.

"Thanks a bunch, Feraligatr, return!" Colleen peered inside the cave. "Well, Pichu, let's go."

The two entered the cave, Pichu's cheeks sizzling with electricity so it could light the way. The path was pretty straightforward, except for the few jutting rocks here and there. Finally, Colleen could see a light in the last room.

Colleen entered cautiously, and her mint green eyes clapped on grey-blue ones. She blinked and took in the scene; there was a green backpack against the wall, and a man stood there, regarding her and Pichu. He was tall, and was wearing a black suit with purple zigzags down the jacket, a white collar shirt, and a red handkerchief used as a tie. His hair was a silvery-grey and stuck out at the top, while his eyes were a compassionate blue-grey.

"H-hello . . . you're Steven Stone, right?" Colleen piped up, holding out the letter when Steven nodded curiously. "Your dad, Mr. Stone . . . he told me to give this to you."

"That dad of mine . . ." Colleen was surprised at his warm tone as he took the letter and slit it open. He read the letter, a smile twitching at his lips. When he turned back to Colleen, he was wearing a handsome smile. "I'm so sorry about this . . . my dad is too busy at work to get things to me, so he always calls people to do his work."

"Oh, it's no problem," Colleen replied modestly.

"May I know the name of the lovely girl who delivered this letter?"

Colleen blushed at his wording. "Colleen Rose, sir. Just call me Colleen."

Steven held out his hand. "I'm Steven Stone, but call me Steven." Colleen shook his surprisingly warm hand.

"And this is Pichu!" Pichu hopped onto Steven's shoulder in greeting.

Steven patted Pichu's head. "A very cute Pokémon. It looks very strong, as well."

"Thank you."

"Your timing is very prompt, Colleen," Steven said. "I just finished examining this cave—I'm leaving today."

"Oh, you're a rock hunter just like Mr. Stone?"

"Yeah." Steven chuckled. "I'm a Trainer, as well, and I try to do both hobbies equally."

Colleen laughed. "Where were you planning to go next?"

"I don't know, really," Steven replied, running a hand through his hair. "I've examined most of the caves here in Hoenn, and I don't like the idea of traveling to a different region. I love Hoenn."

"Me, too," Colleen agreed. "I couldn't think of living anywhere but here. I'm from Littleroot Town—how about you?"

"I have a home in Mossdeep City, but I'm from Rustboro. I was born there when the Devon Corporation was just beginning."

"Is it hard being the son of the head of the Devon Corporation?"

"Sometimes. Plus I'm a pretty highly-classed Trainer here in Hoenn, which makes all the more fans. Trust me, that's a bad thing."

Colleen giggled. "I'd like to learn from a good Trainer like you. You see, I'm just about to head to the Hoenn League."

Steven looked very interested, but only for a second. "I could come with you, if you'd like. I have nowhere to go but home now. I could teach you a few tricks."

Colleen tried to mask her excitement. "That'd be great! If you want to."

Steven smiled again. "I'd love to help you, and it'd help me learn a few things, too. Plus my training's a little rusty."

Colleen smiled back as the trio headed out of the cave. "Thanks, Steven. I've just met you and I can already tell you're a nice guy."

Steven laughed. "Thanks for the compliment. I think you're a nice girl, too. You seem to be a strong Trainer."

"I hope I am."

Once Pichu, Colleen, and Steven were out of the cave, it was evening. "Let's rest at the Pokémon Center for the night," Steven suggested, and Colleen agreed. They ran to Slateport City and into the Pokémon Center, where they checked out a room for the night. They settled down and began to get ready for bed.

"I hope I do well at the Hoenn League," Colleen mentioned, her hair hanging off the top of the bunk bed.

"I'm sure you will," Steven replied, hanging his jacket on the chair and slipping the red handkerchief out of the collar.

"I'm glad you'll be helping me out, though."

Steven slipped into his bed, smiling as he switched off the light. "Even without helping, I'm sure you'll do fine. You've gone so far on your journey, who says you can't go farther? And I've learned from experience: it's always nice to have someone to share the journey with."

**A/N: Sorry for the lame ending and title :P Well, please review and see you in chapter 16 of **_**The Hoenn Journeys **_**(soon, I hope!)**


End file.
